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Well, you`ve done yourself proud here.I pop back here every now and again,`cos your the mutt`s nuts on Rocksteady info.All power to your Dancecrasher 100 Best Rocksteady Tunes.Keep up the good work.Excellent.

This post has caused offence to a former moderator of the Chatty Mouth board. I’m sorry this has happened, no disrespect was intended as the comments are all reasonably lighthearted which I believe is clear.

I’d be interested to see you list them in order of importance/usefulness Tim – (although I fully appreciate why you might not want to).

For all the drama on that board, the people on ‘Chatty Mouth’ have consistently been the most useful/knowledgeable/forthcoming for me when I’ve been seeking information about Alpha old boys. B&F a close second – but perhaps less useful now than it once was.

I wouldn’t dare Baldy 😉
Seriously though I’d say I enjoy Blood And Fire and Pama the best. As for Chatty Mouth, after the latest outbursts, childish digs and abuse I doubt I’ll be posting there again. Life’s too short…

great initiative and a nice read/listen. cant wait or the rest of the list. just wantde to point out two of the most famous ‘versions’ of gir iv’e got a dat: Harry J’s Liquidator and the non reggae version of the Staple singers ‘Ill Take you there’ , to my knowlegde te only time a reggae song gets a soul/funk version, usually it is the other way around.

Hey guess what? the hottest reggae singer Ava leigh whoâ€™s worked with the famous Sly n Robbie, Nick Manasseh, and future cut has free music you can download at http://www.avaleigh.co.uk ?check it out.

Love your work and can’t wait to see the future additions. I’ll be interested to see where Desmond Dekker’s Fu Manchu and Alton Ellis’ If I Could Rule this World appear on your list. Love the label shots too. Great reading. Thanks.

I really like the new layout Tim. I believe that Little Clive who toasted on ‘African Bread’ is Clive Chin but can’t confirm that 100%. Nice to hear ‘Stamma’ on the intro as well.
Just in case anyone is interested the inspiration for Dennis Alcapone’s fantastically titled ‘Erotic Touch of Hot Skin’ can be found here;http://tinyurl.com/2le6db

Great to see these lists of music I have loved for 40 years. Do not agree with all of the comments but that is hardly the point. Maybe you are right and I am wrong. I have most of them and want the rest!

Hello at dancecrasher,just stumbled onto your site and its brilliant.had to sell all my ska n rocksteady records years ago,just starting collecting again.Hope my faves are gonna be in your 100 greatest rocksteady list.1.wailing wailers nice time. 2.Tommy MCcook soul for sale.3.Ewan and Jerry rocksteady train.4.The Jamaicans woman go home.5.Bob Andy I’ve got to go back home.keep up the good work i’m off to put on some tunes.

â€œPatsy – Love Is Divine , This only came out on a Jamaican blank originally.â€

This came out at least twice on Jamaican issue (label or not) once with “Toast to James Bond” by Baba Brooks and once with another B Side (don’t know what it is but it wasn’t memorable) which unfortunately is the one I have!

Excellent stuff. I’ve always been very much into rocksteady so this top 100 is just what I need. If you need a scan of the labelled Treating me bad (or Miss Cushie with center, or Johnnie Cool on Olive Blossom with credits), let me know! I will be glad to help out. Respect!

Hi Tim… have to say I think that the Drum Song ‘original’ is a bit of a red herring…. different chord changes, no trace of the horns melody (in either version) – and the bass line (though more obvious in the El Chicano) is close, but not close enough for me. Coincidental, imho, just like ‘Green Island’ and ‘Get Carter’……..

And while I’m on it – the original to Errol Dunkley’s You’re Gonna Need Me’ is by Barbara Lynn (on Jamie)…. Great project – keep up the good work, Cheers, Chris

Thank for this Chris, I’ve got to say I did think long and hard about the Viva Tirado link, any similaritiy is as you say pretty week. That said I thought the similarity with El Chicano was clear, but that came after Drum Song so who copied who? Still you much more of a musician than me so undoubtedly your right. I’ll amend the article when I get round to it.

DREAD AT THE CONTROLS
Michael Campbell better known as Mikey Dread, is a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster.

From an early age, Campbell showed a natural aptitude for engineering and electronics. After he finished college, Campbell started out as an engineer with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). Campbell wasn’t impressed that the JBC’s playlists mainly consisted of bland, foreign pop music at a time when some of the most potent reggae was being recorded in Jamaica. He convinced his JBC bosses to give him his own radio program called Dread At The Controls, where he played nothing but reggae. Before long, Campbell (now using the DJ name Mikey Dread) had the most popular program on the JBC. Well-known for its fun and adventurous sonic style, Dread At The Controls became a hit all over Jamaica. Inevitably, JBC’s conservative management and Campbell clashed, and he quit in protest.

By that time, Campbell had earned a solid reputation as a singer and producer and began recording his own material. Distinctive albums such as Dread At The Controls, Evolutionary Rockers, and World War III all became favorites amongst reggae fans. His collaboration with producers King Tubby and Carlton Patterson stand out as some of the best work each party has done. Campbell’s music attracted the attention of British punk rockers The Clash, who invited him over to England to produce some of their music. Although initially suspicious of the strangers, Campbell soon became the best of friends with the band, producing their famous “Bankrobber” single and performing on several songs on their 1980 album Sandinista!. Campbell also toured with The Clash across Britain, Europe, and the US, gaining many new fans along the way.

After many years working as a producer and singer, Campbell withdrew from the business and moved to Miami where he furthered his college education with courses in electronics and business. Disgusted with several unfair contracts with record companies, Campbell shrewdly waited until all of the existing contracts expired and then regained control over his entire catalogue. Since then, he has been re-releasing much of it on his own Dread At The Controls record label.

In October 2007, it was announced that Campbell was being treated for a brain tumour.

hi there,
thanks for your feedback. This is a trailer for a film I am in the process of finishing. At this i am looking for some funding to clear the amazing archive and music. I am hoping to get this film into UK (and European film festivals if I’m lucky) towards the end of 2008.
The working title is “Ska Beat”

Nice feature. I always imagined a Delroy original to ‘Smoke without fire’ before discovering this! Is there the same guitar bits on the original (Lynne Tait?)? Anywhere I can hear the whole original?
Keep up the good work.
Vinc

Went to see this the other day. It is unmissable for any lover of reggae history but like most documentaries on the subject, does not give a clear indication of the music’s progression though its different eras, from boogie shuffle to reggae. Do see it though.

Glad that you enjoyed the film and exhibition. I devised and directed the film and I wanted to give voices to the people that moved the scene onwards. So I only worked the story themes that Coventry people talked about.

Most older sounds talked about R&B from the Louis Jordan era, Bluebeat or ska the move to reggae and dancehall. Mento and Rock Steady weren’t mentioned in the interviews. I was happy that we got some detail about sound system equipment like the mighty GEC KT88 valves, Garrad decks and quad boxes which I hope make up for the gaps.

Got my CD and the 7″ of ” Lorna Banana ” this week.An absolutely crucial set of tunes from the guys at Pressure Sounds.Excellent liner notes.
Thanks DanceCrasher for the initial heads-up and the follow up reminder.You were right – You Need To Buy It :Â¬).

this is a wonderful collection of rocksteady beats.. i m a deaf individual who is confined to the steady beats and bass of reggae. the faster these lists come the more i can fill my mp3 player with some of these songs.. currently thru napster.. any better reggae song sites i could download some of these songs?

Thanks for the link Tim. I think ‘Double Barrel’ was the first Reggae record I bought. I must have played it thousands of times over the years and still do. I really like the rhythm and play the version side a lot. It was really interesting to find out who played on the session. I knew about Sly and (obviously) Ansell but didn’t know about the others. Trust ace Engineer Lynford ‘Andy Capp’ Anderson to be involved too!

many fond memories of the Skatalites Band. As a teenager my brother and myself use to go to Bournemouth Club on Wednesday nights to hear
them. We journeyed from Spanish town by Bus not knowing how we were getting home at 3:00 am when the session was over. Dizzy RIP, You’re gone to join Gabriel, Don, Roland, Jackie, Tommy and the rest.There’ll be some sweet sounds coming down on the night shift.
As for me I got a whole lot of your music to last a lifetime.
Farewell Brother Man, Farewell

If anyone’s interested in #61, “Won’t you come home” by Delroy Wilson, the version that appears on Dancing Mood is apparently a later, non-rocksteady rerecording of the track. I’ve been searching in vain to find an available CD release of this track…

Thanks one more time for the joy and happy moments you gave us with those wonderful gigs with the Skatalites and then with Jamaica All Stars here in Italy.
Love and respect to another, beloved artist of our wonderful music!

Cheers Tim, I googled rar files and downloaded a free extractor thing, thanks for getting back to me mate. the sellection is killer Asher G really is the man, do you have any other recordings of his apart from the one(s) on your podcast page. Really been enjoying the Proffsser and Archie ones again.
All the best
Robert

“If anyoneâ€™s interested in #61, â€œWonâ€™t you come homeâ€ by Delroy Wilson, the version that appears on Dancing Mood is apparently a later, non-rocksteady rerecording of the track. Iâ€™ve been searching in vain to find an available CD release of this trackâ€¦”

The rocksteady version is on the recent Soul Jazz “Studio One Kings” – I didn’t (but should’ve) realized this was the work on TimP, that rare Rulers cut “Let My People Go” is the best thing I ever got off a message board, cheers!

Still lot of personal faves missing but 60 to go! Ken Boothe “Thinking”, Mr Foundation “See Them a Come”, Sound Dimension “Rockfort Rock”, Techniques “Traveling Man”, The Bassies “Big Mistake”, The Mellotones “Fat Girl in Red”, The Wailers “Hurting Inside”, Roy Shirley “I’m the Winner”, The Sensations “Lonely Lover”, Alton Ellis “If I Could Rule the World” and anything by Keith & Tex – so many tunes in barely a two-year time span, amazing! Eagerly awaiting the next ten

hi to all i will in the new year have my uk dub sound system list ready to go with a lot of goodies the list will include all of my recordings ie sound system recordings going back to 1983 featuring myself Mc Clapper Priest
and will also feature many dub club sessions
and uk 1980s sound sessions so i will keep everone posted bless

Hi Tim! Please, carry on with your great work! Still waiting for tunes like “So weary”, “The good you can”, “One Way Street” or “Red eye gal” – and hopefully more tunes like “The Greatest” which I’ve never heard before.

I’m so excited to see the new post for your 100 Greatest Rocksteady tunes. I check your website all the time hoping the new one will be up. I am slowly learning more about comtemporary jamaican music but my real love is anything from the 80’s back. . . especially rocksteady. Keep up the great work.

this is NOT off course a ‘homage to playground plays’ (i dont think it would have been so succesful in Jamaican dancehalls) but a has a double meaning: it’s about about a memory of teenage sex in school, he refers to her Red BUMBO and how she cried when he ‘took it away’.

iam trying to get in contact with a dj by the name of little howie. he came over to england in the 80s with the sound youthman promotions from jamacia. i have heard that he has turned a muslim. i also heard he was in south london area. he means so much to me so i would appreciate it if you can try and contact him for me and even give him my contact ,email. many thanks karina

Hi Gabriel. Fair point (I’ve amended the text)though your compilation was of course released on Soul Jazz.

Whilst they may well have done something like this anyway, after the England Story comp (and it’s popularity) it was a bit of a no brainer really. I should stress this is not meant as a criticism of Soul Jazz – there’s nothing wrong with the comp or the idea I’m just pointing out the connections.

On a related point did you ever check out the UK Dancehall mix i done? I believe this slightly pre-dated your one that lead to England Story (not that I’m claiming any kind of credit or anything). I may put it up on this site soon as the podomatic page hardly every works due to bandwidth restrictions.

I downloaded loads of your mixes from podomatic a couple of years ago including the uk dancehall one, really liked them all especially the rocksteady ones (my favourite reggae era) and the jammy’s and black scorpio selections.

there’s so much uk dancehall (both vocals and productions) that is so good and still largely unknown beyond the uk reggae scene, it’d be great to have more compilations dedicated to that, all that brilliant fashion/montana stuff as well as mafia & fluxy, unity, uk bubblers etc. it’s a shame that there wasn’t space in an england story to include more tracks from that era, in a way I think we maybe ended up spreading things too thinly over 25 years on that.

re: the NYC comp, it’s definitely a good move on SJ’s part, I guess I was a little miffed cos I was thinking of pitching them a similar thing! but like you say, it’s a definite no brainer after the england story one and it’s not like I can lay claim to the concept once it’s out in the open – or indeed before, given that similar mixes like yours and john eden/paul meme’s Lyric Maker (or Fashion’s Great British MCs) had explored the theme already!

thanks, no good local music for a couple weeks and ain’t able to get out to any ska/rocksteady/roots stuff(ie California ect) for a couple months. This fit the bill and I appreciate it. Paul in Fairbanks

While I am happy to see that there is a NY compilation like this, it also seems like the tunes that were selected kind of scrape the bottom of the barrel. I feel like they should have selected at least one vaugely underground Artist like Super C rather than having a bunch of Super Cat who was not, in fact, from NY. For that matter, neither was Born Jamericans (washington D.C.) or Uglyman.

Any chance of this becoming available to listen again? Anyone evry here the BBC radio documentry from around 20 years ago on ska? Love to hear that again. Thanks for sharing and producing this great blog.
Nuff respect
Prince Andrew

I can’t get them back easily but it is possible so I’ll do this over time. I’ll have a look at the Keats Wine Bar clash. I never got all three parts to work on podomatic anyway so it’ll be worth a try. It’s a case of soon come at the moment…I’ll get there when I can.

Hi Tim, Look forward to that, dealy session that Keats do, been after of the vocal to Glen Browns “tell it like it is” and Gene Rondo’s “someday” since hearing them on your podcast.
many thanks for that mate
respect
Robert

I asked Laurence who was involved in this release and this is what he said…

“In regard the inclusion of ‘Loch Ness Monster’ on ‘Fire’, Laurel himself
claimed he was the artist on this and a number of other self-productions
that accredited King Horror, even though the name was also used by Lord
Davey at the time. But regardless of whether it was Aitken or Davey, we felt
it’s inclusion was warranted by Laurel’s involvement as the record’s
producer.”

So it seems probabel that King Horror was a alias for more than one artist (and that Laurel at least was involved in the production). I have even heard people claiming that Lord Tanamo(!) was responsible for Loch Ness Monster…

Does any one know if Mighty Growler/Young Growler was a alias for Lord Davey?

No, Mighty Growler and Young Growler wasn’t the same person. Mighty Growlers real name was Errol Duke and was a trinidadian active under the 30s and 40s and presumably died in the 50s. Young Growler was his son, who recorded calypsos during the 60s notably on the Jump Up label.

Greetings Tim, that was fast! I’m still uploading them. I really enjoyed the selections from Tommy and Massa. Have to say a big thanks to Daddy Reds and Roots FM for the good vibes and to Ash for the tip on Pama.
aka Herbert.

Glad you got round to another 10 great rocksteady tunes. Looking forward to the rest. Would have put “Can’t you see” by Ken Boothe much higher though but it’s all a matter of opinion. At which place will you put “Venus” by Winston Francis? 😉

this Bootleg is on the WRONG label LOL, the don drummond song is a Coxsone prodcution on the CaribOO label, NOT the CaribOU. check out the labels scans on this site. So how come those japanese got it on a Dada Toari’s Caribou label?? hmmm i bet yuo the did not license it…. i am sure Carol Dodd is alread talking to her lawyers, so better buy this quick (or wait for the eminent official Coxsone re-release

All other Caribou singles are more in a mento/calypso style and produced by Dada Touari, and this sounds very much like the skatalites , which makes me think Coxsone so how come this is on Caribou?

see, that’s why i was thinking that some one jus put the wrong label on a bootleg. And if it is a Coxsone production, Carol Dodd would have been invloved i presume.

but then again, the CariBOO singels seem to bee more from the pre-ska era(owen gray, cleu J)so it would be odd for coxsoen to revive this labelin 1964-65 ( which sound more like the era for this chune)

And maybe it was a track that Douari licensed from coxsone to put out on his own label. or a one off ska recording he madewith the skatates.

but i am not sure, as yuo say. most of the time those Japanese deal with legal matters more properly than most Jamaican or UK re-issuers.

so please take off my copmment if you feel like it, because it seems i was too hasty in condemming this re-release.

Cheers for the response. I was thinking the same thing about the Coxsone Cariboo label which was also very early 60’s. To be honest I have no idea who produced Bellevue Special I’ve not seen any evidence that it’s Coxsone, except the claim in RKR (without a matrix) but maybe it is?

I’ll delete the comment if you wish but the discussion is good so I’ll leave it if your OK with that?

i had the lp back in the 70s and sold it out of ignorance. so glad it came back around on cd. the lagoon label released Treasure Dub 1 & 2 and this completes the trilogy. a hard to find work has resurrected for the world to enjoy. i will. thx, Lord Chris (musical savior)

Joe White`s ! I`m So Proud ” and its instrumental version by Karl Bryan & Lyn Taitt & The Jets is also avaliable on the ” Jamaican Memories ” CD on Trojan TJACD 014 , which btw is a storming collection of the original LP plus 16 bonus tracks !

Many thanks for this lists of tunes. So nice with your comments and pics. Facts Of Life by Roy Shirley And The Uniques and Dedicated To You AKA Dedicate My Song To You by the Jamaicans are my alltime favourites on this list(81-90).

Patsy – Love Is Divine
aka Find Someone, issued in the UK on High Note as the flip to The Gaytones’ Target (HS037, ’70), but I’m sure it was issued on an earlier UK High Note with a different title.
a superb Ska-to-Rock Steady, definitely Jamaican Soul!
Great site Tim, keep on the good work!

I wish we had this kind of sound on the west coast of Canada. Is there any way that this latest tighten up session could be posted for download, cause the older sessions are such great listening material. Thanks very much.

i’ve been following this section religiously since conception,the tunes keep getting better& better,and is a constant source of inspiration,how about Earnest & freddie-‘deep down in my heart,got this on a blank Flames(anyone ever seen a labeled copy?)i hope this gets an inclusion,it deserves one!
keep up the great work

please go to myspace sir collins
and download the chapter 1 album remastered from the original reel to reels from the sir collins archive
stay blessed dancecrasher and keep up the good work
sir collins and family

The “deal” is that transcribing patois is difficult. My personal opinion that if you transcribe everything into “closest standard English” you lose the feel of the language. So when deciding whether to transcribe “take” or “tek,” “can’t” or “cyaan,” “that” or “dat,” I went with what seemed closer to how it was originally said. So a couple of times in the interview, when Trinity said “man” in a way that sounded much more like “mon,” I transcribed it as such; elsewhere in the interview I transcribed using the standard spelling.

i dont understand the info update on Wont’you come home. To my ears the version as it appears on ‘Dancing Mood'(the LP, i dont do CD’s) is the original rock steady version, with a slight overdub on the drums. so it’s not a remake as suggested by paul.

From the fairly “Latin” sound of it, “Voodoo Moon” is probably a cover of the 1942 Enric Madriguera tune also known as “Enlloro”. He was a Latin American bandleader popular from about 1932-1950, and the tune was also recorded by Percy Faith.

Dang!
Memories By The Score â€“ The Paragons. I copped this from my parents collection way back when on a blank and had no idea who it was or the story behind it. Not dug it out for a while, but it’s double AA sider and a nice tune. Good work.

As kalcidis says ” long awaited ” . Another great crop of tunes here , Tim . Spoil us and release the whole caboodle on a multi-CD compilation ? …. we can but wish . Thanks for your hard work and eclectic taste .

Great posting — a terrific balance between your deep knowledge of the tunes as a collector/scholar and your outright enthusiasm for the music. Also, it is refreshing to see a list like this that balances the obscure rarities with more well known masterpieces.

I had no idea ‘Foo Manchu’ was British! You are right about British rock steady. I propose a debate on great British rock steady. ‘Foo Manchu’ is already taken so I suggest ‘Rudy’s Dead’ by Little Grants & Eddie on Pyramid and ‘Invaders At The Carnival’ by the Invaders on Columbia Blue Beat.

Yes, I thought you’d buried the project by now. Man I’ve waited long for this installment. “Travelling man”, yes indeed, though I’d definately put the instrumental, “Moon Shot” on my top ten of rocksteady instrumentals. Also good to see the Wail’nSoul’m starting to pop up, couldn’t be the last…Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the comments.
Trev – there is no chance of a compilation as I don’t have the rights to these tunes. I did think about a mix tape/podcast type thing though, I may get round to it one day!
Donald – other good UK rocksteady? Hmmmm that would be hard, there are some half decent tunes for sure but nothing else comes close IMO…
Martin – Trust me this won’t be buried but it still may take along time to complete! I don’t know Moon Shot I don’t think. Your comment about Wail’nSoul’m may well be accurate – wait and see 😉

On face value this like any other PS release looks very exciting but if like me you have the original 1995 release and the later release Down Santic Way another PS compilation of Leonard Chin’s output from 2005 you will note tracks 6. Columbo â€“ Augustus Pablo, 7. Special Branch â€“ Leonard Santic All Stars and 19. I Donâ€™t Want To Lose You â€“ Paul Whiteman all appear on the later release.
So what do you actually gain from the increased release? 9. Hell Boat â€“ Santic All Stars (Augustus Pablo), 18. Mexican Rocking â€“ Santic All Stars a straight version of I Roy’s Yamaha Ride, 20. Shouldn’t Say No â€“ Jah Woosh the DJ cut to Paul Whiteman’s I Donâ€™t Want To Lose You also available on the Chalice Blaze LP / CD and track 21. Santic Meet King Tubby â€“ King Tubby & The Santic All Stars the dub / version to Paul Whiteman’s I Donâ€™t Want To Lose You.
Two tracks are deleted from the 1995 release 15. Free Jah Jah Children – Jah Woosh and 16. Blackman In Dub – Augustus Pablo & Paul Blackman, which to my listening ear is the same as track 21 from the new release Santic Meet King Tubby â€“ King Tubby & The Santic All Stars.
You can do the maths for yourself, the only advice I would give is…….if you don’t have either of the releases mentioned then you do need to buy it.

The lead vocal on Travelling Man is actually by Johnny Johnson of the Techniques and not Pat Kelly. Watch the Rock Steady Reunion video and you’ll see him sing it. Johnny dropped out of the business although he is rumoured to be the voice behind Johnny and the Attractions. May well be true?

Truly a sound to knock down Babylon walls
We lose the man at a time of such iniquity
When righteousness is at a premium
We need music such as his to remind us that there is a proper way to live our lives

Lesha, hi I’m Mike the guy who did these interviews, I thought about transcribing them, but have put that idea aside, just not enough time in my life to do it. However anyone is of course welcome to do exactly that and I’d be all the help I could.

Hi Tim, I’d be very interested in seeing them transcribed, just not in doing the work myself. It’s only that I am so busy with stuff, I’ve got shows coming up to do with Steve gain, the possibility in the offing of doing something similar with Penny Reel and I hope Dave Home, plus the shows I already do, the websites I’m designing and the blog I’ve just started regarding wider musical interests. It’s all mad, plus the 2 year old, the wifey and the lack of a job at the moment. . . (as you know, ’cause you’re doing similar)
If I can help then I can send a DVD of the shows, but I just can’t spend the time doing the transcribing. Anyone else who wants to put in the time is very free to do so thought. There is nearly 4 hours of chat, so the transcription I can’t imagine how long that would take, it would certainly be a big job. I’d be happy for you to havem hosted at D’Crasher, as you know you were my original inspiration!

Simple Simon cut Christopher Columbus twice both times on full up! First one was for Hit Bound and then for the LP he did for Striker. If you notice, the riddim is a bit more digital than the Hit Bound edition.

Hi Tim,
Sorry to high-jack this thread but do you know if there’s any recordings of the Dancecrasher Tiny T & Professor Mark night a couple of weeks back, sounded a good night!!!
Cheers
Robert (Roliesoul)

I enjoyed the mix and the site as a whole hope to get down to another one of your nights, me and my girl enjoyed the Texas Ranger one. Check out my blog and our runnings up in brum http://www.friendlyfiremusic.com/.

Hi Robert – Thanks for asking. Yeah I’ve got a recording of the Tiny T dance. The mic didn’t come out but the rest is there, I’ll put it up for a download tomorrow.

Prince Horror – The recordings are done to an old mini disc and then recorded to the computer in real time. They are recorded directly from the desk (not by mic) which means the quality is usually very good.

the story is well known and told manuy time before, but sleng teng was released at least 1 week earlier than feb 23,’85 in the UK: new entry at number 5 in the Echoes disco 45 charts of februari 16, 1985. (see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tapirs/1985.htm)

Fair point it would be interesting to see if there are sound tapes of it being played before the Black Scorpio clash. It’s hard to believe that it wouldn’t have been played on a sound somewhere if the Greensleeves release was out there.

I’ve always assumed that the Jammy’s 7″ came out before the Greensleeves 12″ but maybe not??

i dont know. I do know that a lot of music was only (or first) released in the UK ( from the pama-trojan days up to Jet Star & Greensleeves decline)

because there was a huge market. so it is possible that Jammy first wanted to test the highly experimental sound of sleng teng on the UK market before release in in Jamaica.

And greensleeve was right on the case releasing material of producers like junjo, jammys and george phang.

Also i cannot beleive that if the JA 45 was releasedd before it wouldn’t turn up in the Echoes import 45 top 10..

This one is for the people that were there..I was just a teenager in Holland.

but now the deepen the mystery:
First time i heard Sleng Teng was on Mikey Dread’s radioshow ‘Rockers In The Morning'(still have it on tape)
I tried to find out the transmisson date for a reference. and this is what i read on Mikey Dreads homepage:

Later in 1983-1984 Mikey Dread was employed at VPRO Radio in the Netherlands as a host and producer of a very successful weekly reggae program called “Rockers in the Morning.”He also presented a reggae show for Radio West in Bristol and produced reggae special reports for BBC Radio 1 for a national broadcast across the UK.

In 1984 Mikey Dread hosted live events including “Miss Black UK pageant” in Birmingham.
…
In 1985 Mikey Dread produced and presented a Reggae Radio special for Australian Broadcasting Corporation 105.7 FM JJJ Radio Sydney, Australia.

So if he hasn’t mixed up any dates it has to have been 1984!!

I will go in a Holmes mode and aks the radiostation, maybe they can look up any old transmission dates and solve this riddle

Easy Marni – that tune is Penetrate by The Almighty Stones. Great record. Picked it up a few years back off DJ Stein (The System) but haven’t played it out that much. Can’t remember the label right now tho…

Just had a bit more of a listen and I’m actually only playin for the first 20 mins after which Plattsie takes over with that killer horns ting so his set’s right on there for sure. Will have a proper listen later.
Cheers,
Steve

Thanks M.B., found out I heard it on eBay before (and lost the bid). Did a little research: on the original issue (Welders 7″) they were named Mighty Artons. Only 50 copies were issued apparently. Then as The Almighty Stones on Hot Stuff. But what a bass.

as far as I know, Sleng Teng was played the very first time ina dance by Blacka Dread on 11th of January 1985 (Sir Coxsone vs Saxon). Coxsone got the Under Me Sleng Teng pre-release from Jammy (different mix as the JA 45) and they also had a dubplate on Sleng Teng by Junior Reid called Under Sir Coxsone. my friend who was an active part of the Sir Coxsone crew in those days told me that they had the dubplate a couple of months before the pre-release. anyway, this claim opens a new topic – what was the first tune on Sleng Teng? 🙂

Jumbo: I’m not sure if Mikey Dread played it in 1984. But let me know if you find out the transmission date.

i did get a reply from the Media Archive, they have 2 undated Rockers In The Morning shows in their possession. so unfortunately i cannot find out the transmission dates. THe arent allowed to copy them for me, but i could go there and listen at a 45 euros an hour rate.. which is a bit much.

Jumbo: I didn’t push the release date forward. Sir Coxsone played a pre-release (with an intro) and not an already released tune. I know you didn’t mean it like that, I just want to be precise. I’m sure you know that any detail matters.. 🙂

Tim P: throw a mail to doncosmic(at)peppa(dot)biz, I’ll give you a link for the whole tape.

true, but in the UK the term pre-release is usually used for a Jamaican import 45 (blank or printed)and a release a UK printed 7 or 12″.

So if he spinned a JA pressed 45 pre, it would have been pressed and thus available at least a few days before( manufacturing and transport time minimized)in Jamaica.A nd if a UK sound would have it i am sure Jamaican sounds would be able to play it as well eventhough it wasn’t available to the general public, thus not pushing the official release date further, but in the same time shedding doubt on the february soundclash sleng teng debute myth.
If on the other hand Coxsone played an UK pre-release/testpress they obtained from Greensleeves, Coxsone could well be the sole sound worldwide to play that chune on that moment(except for Jammy’s Superpower offcourse)

The version on the tape is off dub plate surely and not a vinyl issue, as well as the spoken intro it sounds like the mix is different though I could be wrong about this as its hard to tell if the sound is being manipulated by Blacka on the sound. So it’s a pre but not in the sense of a Jamaican vinyl issue.

As such this proves nothing concerning what date the UK or Jamaica issue was released but it certainly corrects when it was first played out in a dance.

Would it be possible to get a PDF download of the programme as mine has got lost over the years.
This was a brilliant concert and I feel proud that I travelled with a few of my mates on the train down from the Wirral, Cheshire at the time of this feast of reggae music. Superb.

Ive listened to the rest of that tape thanks to Don Cosmic. It’s certainly very early 85 but unfortunately there is nothing on the tape to indicate a definite date (no announcements of future dances etc). That said I don’t doubt the information given by DC so 11th of January 1985 is the probable date. It’s credible to think that Jammy’s may have let a dubplate of Under my Sleng Teng go to Coxsone in the UK (but not to any Jamaican sound) knowing that would have little impact on what he done when re-lauching Jammy’s Supa Power at the dance with Black Scorpio.

I spoke to Champian from Jamdown Rockers about Sleng Teng the other day, he thinks the Greensleeves 12″ did come out first and also that it wasn’t the first tune released on the rhythm with Pumpkin Belly, for one, coming first. This again probably causes more questions than it does answers as Under My Sleng Teng is in the UK reggae charts on 16 February 1985 yet Beth Lesser puts Tenor Saw voicing Pumpkin Belly on exactly the same day!

It’s nice to see a song I wrote, a record I produced on the Sue Label with Bobby Lee back in 1966, is still being heard regardless of who the artist is. The back side of the original version had a change of mood for me when I wrote it. I was being more optimistic when My Luck Is Bound To Change was recorded. Im still waiting for the royalties from 1966….lol

Thanks Erik – I hadn’t heard the Boops version (I slept on a recent version of Duck rhythm too even though Busy Signal’s cut was really good). Maybe a round up of all recent re-licks would be in order.

Can’t recall any brand new relicks apart from those mentioned and those you’ve written about lately.

French crew Irie Ites has done a version of Su Su Pon Rasta though. This was released in March. Vocals by Naggo Morris and Trinity. The riddim is very close to the original. Same crew has also done redone Strange Things and done a very good job IMO. This was last year though.

Nas & Damian Marley have a version of Land of Promise by Dennis Brown/Love Fire by Aswad on the new album Distant Relatives. Tough version.

have been wanting to know who sung ‘reggae a go go’ for years ! another tune from this period is Earnest Wilsons private number which allways sounds as if the tapes been run slightly too fast , great tune none the less.

Hi Donald
Thanks for spotting that, I’ve got that Junior single but never made the connection. I’d always wondered about the Anthony King credit as 1)never heard of him 2)there is more than one voice on the tune. My guess is that the Ranny Williams & George Regent credit is more likely to be correct but I don’t know how Trojan had the tune (master tape or pre?) and how they got the credits. I’ll try and find out and will report back.

Greetings Tim, Trojan included quite a few nice extra tracks on their CD reissue of ‘Tighten Up Vol 1’, a lot of which sounded like they came from tape. One of those tracks was ‘Rent Too High’ by Ranny Williams and George Regent so maybe ‘Let them Talk’ was from the same tape? In any case, it’s great to see tracks like these see the light of day!

Very good idea to have someone in the know add some perspective and common sense into what sometimes seems as hysterical as the stock exchange. Mr Barrow can hardly complain about the prices Mr Brooks fetches for him..The Clifton Gibbs ‘Brimstone & Fire* he sold 2 weeks ago went for around 400 $. I bought a copy some months back for 60$, both EX+. Ease up people. The scent of Steve can’t be worth THAT much.

I’m really glad you brought this up – I’ve just listened to both versions (on youtube – I don’t have the repress). Most interestingly even without the intro the repress is quite a bit longer than the Fugitive issue (over 20 seconds), therefore assuming the Doctor Bird issue isn’t also longer which I doubt but can’t check at the moment, then the Moodisc reissue definitely comes from the mastertape and i’d have to say it’s fairly likely that the intro is also on there too.

This is all conjecture of course but I’m really glad to have spotted that the repress is longer – I’ll have to go out and buy it now.

And I’m glad somebody else wonder about these things.. The only thing that speaks for owning the orginal press is that the Fugitive label is so much better looking than the Moodisc repress. And of course that the orginal lick of the Lecturer-riddim is on the other side. Swap my repress for the original? ;D

I have only just discovered the Dancecrasher website and am hugely impressed at the labour of love it represents. The Rocksteady countdown is a great feature which has kept your correspondents on the edge of their seats for a couple of years. I like the way you play it out gradually. It’s not until you are finished that anyone can complain about their favourites being left out. I am looking forward to seeing “Inez”(in the top ten),”Soul and Inspiration”(Hamlins), as well as “Sad Movies” all featuring.

Keep up the good work. It’s an informed and thoughtful site for those of us who love the music

Yes, I wouldn’t begrudge Steve or Bob as they’ve both paid their dues and deserve a return – exactly why people would wish to bid significantly more for these tunes is still a mystery to me though. That said I’m not sure if Bob and Steve are the only sellers on ebay that attract consistently high prices in comparrison to everyone else but this is perhaps te most extreme example.

It can be a mystery sometimes but there are certain records that I want that could be considered ‘gap fillers’ that are not neccessarily great records but I might be willing to pay a high price for that reason. Perhaps that is what happens here. All the best.

An interesting look at some recent activity on Ebay. The good news is that there are still plenty of good value records to be found on Ebay.
For example, I saw a very clean copy of Uhuru’s ‘Folk Song’ on Top Cat go for about Â£25 very recently. Not only is it a great record but it’s also really hard to find on the original Jamaican pressing. Someone got a bargain!

I have a caltone pre with the matrix number wirl bc 4553 does anyone know who it might be . I would appreciate any information that might be available . The other side has no matrix number as far as I can See.

Bim and Bam, the Jamaican comedians do not seem to appear on this programme – were they there as a supporting act? If not, does anyone know when they did appear? They were on a Jamaican music programme at the Empire Pool Wembley in the second half of the 1970s.

Firstly I wonder if it’s that difficult to understand, eBay only benefits from this eventually if they are as they have been for some time trying to push everyone into selling and therefore buying using Buy It Now and not auction.

Secondly, it’s not just Late 60s early 70s tunes getting ‘overed by the Mexican treatment, it’s happened on a number of recent autions on Jamaican 78s that I’ve been part of, and he’s screwed up royally.

I stupidly missed an opportunity to meet with eBay “executives” in San Jose not long ago, so I emailed about this problem, referencing this (very good) article (thank you).

As there was no reply initially I emailed again and got this useless response from “Kristine.” Her email address is included if you want to email her/him/it.

Hello Mark,

My name is Kristine with eBayâ€™s Office of the President. I received your message here at csme@ebay.com and I wanted to see if I could help out with this issue.

We have taken action against the accounts that we were able to locate that have been placing fraudulent bids. I will also request that this individual be added to our filters, which are tools that allows us to screen individuals based on past patterns and behaviors. However, as you can imagine, extremely determined individuals can sometimes circumvent these filters. We will do our best to keep this member from continually disturbing our sellers, but I canâ€™t guarantee that they wonâ€™t return. If this does happen, please contact me right away at this address so that I can add any new information to our filters to help tighten them up.

As much as I would love to go after this individual in their own country, that isnâ€™t always an option. I will continue to monitor the situation and pass along any concerns if this continues.

Still listen to those mix very often, I love them ! Have a question about 1 track. The last one from the part 2, I understand it’s announced as “the Renegade” from “the Zodiacs” but after a search it appears that this track is in fact some ska… Can u please, please (please !) tell me the good band and title of that sweet old reggae melody. Thx you !

It is the Zodiacs, this rocksteady cut is a Merritone production and as far as I know only came on a blank. It’s usually called Renegade but Roots Knotty Roots calls it Walk On By. It’s on youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GIzlnjYqnE

Recently got a CD called ” Cool, Cool Rocksteady ” which features loads of the tracks listed above . All in superb quality , btw. Not very often that you get ” multiple version ” Rocksteady tracks . Recommended , imho , for the non vinylites !

Yes family, pls tell more about tune called Nothing Come Easy from Cornel Campbell. I have the same tune but on tempo riddim from Dub Chemis(JA). What is the name of the label who release this tune on other riddim.

Not the first time Pepper Pot has been re-issued, at least not here in the UK – I have a facsimile Randy’s issue of this from about 10 yrs ago (?) with a great Jackie Mittoo version – ‘Walking Trouble’ – on the B-side. Like you though, I’m puzzled at such a short pressing run, especially given the popularity of this ‘Skinhead’ genre. I wonder if Carlos will be getting himself a copy?

The idea that raggae histories all come to a sudden halt with the ragga explosion of the late 1980s and beyond is not all together accurate. The Rough Guide To Reggae by Steve Barrow and myself included a chapter on this very subject (as well as sections within the UK and US chapters). Included in the last updating of the book (2004) are such figures as Admiral Bailey,Chaka Demus, Lieutenant Stitchie, Major Worries, Courtney Melody, Cobra, Cutty Ranks,Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Tiger, General Degree, Wayne Marshall, Red Dragon, Super Cat. Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man, Ward 21 – in fact everyone of importance in the field up to the date of publication that we had space for!

Think Alcapone’s cut to How did you know Rub up a daughter is on Mr. Gray’s original riddim as you can hear Mr. Gray sing in the background. The High School JA-pre-release’ matrix bears the intials GR…

I tried to see the full article/chart, but without any luck. After clicking “check the full article here” above I found myself on a site devoted to various forms of dance music but with nothing (I could find) on Ragga. I’d still like to see it, so would appreciate any advice as to the next move after getting on to the site…or has the article been removed?

Does anyone know if these five tunes have ever appeared on .45 before? I’m only aware of the two by Anthony Red Rose & King Kong appearing on their “Two Big Bull In A One Pen” album, and the other three on “King Tubby Presents Soundclash Dub Plate Style”.

“Reincarnated souls” hasnt been released since ” Blackheart man”, do you have any idea if that version is re-masterized, I’m not familiar with this Label. Hopefully the quality will be better than original!

Thanks for the audio Tim! I was lucky to be in town that weekend and passed through, the vibes were nice! Carl Meeks did a nice show and Deadly Dragon played a nice set, Champion killed it with a few nice tunes on the mic. Trueschool vibes as I would say!

nice film, worth it just to listen to the congos music which is a different cut to the Image of Africa album audio which was supposed to be the soundtrack, the audio in the film is just like another Heart of the Congos LP,same standards, AMAZING!! why didn’t they release this version as the LP i will never know. Congos are legendary……

There are only 4 or 5 genuine wailers/Marley dubplates. The rest of them are all frauds .There is a high chance this one is as well.

Most of that stuff is either unreleased/unfinished studio material that was somehow leaked or ended up in the public domain. Or done by the offspring of mr Marley / by Albert Griffiths from the Gladiators who is said to be a very good Bob Marley impersonator.

Hello. I just wanted to mention here that I have a list of 350 of the best reggae/rocksteady/ska songs that I have trimmed down from my collection of about 3,600 songs. If you’d like to see it I’d be willing to share. I need some help identifying the artist on two or three of the songs. Thanks for this list, and I hope you decide to correspond with me.

Thanks for putting these up, I was really looking forward to it. I think though that there is a problem with the files, because when you are directed to megaupload it says the files are unavailable. Just thought I would let you know. Cheers.

There was a very entertaining Keith Lawrence interview with Blacker Dread on Colourful Radio recently where ‘Sleng Teng’ was discussed. Tim P asked Blacker who played it first…..
You can listen to it here;http://www.colourfulradio.com/presenter/keithlawrence/
..show number 75 from 24/11/2010

fantasic interview, just came across this interview from clicking a few links on anther site, great job love the samples, great history, welton was never one of my fav djs, i was a big echo fan, fav tape back in the day was echo, brigg, nancy and the singers, which i still play, but i really enjoy the history, and never knew how much work he put in, it kind of links up with the small interview lone ranger did in the studio one dvd, when he talks about the he and some dj,s from east mash up a dance and he got dj for the year, was it ranger welton ringo and echo

Tim,
There’s also a false start version of ‘Can’t you see’ in a very similar vein to “royal cord” (FND 8003A). Starting “if you want to know about version you’ve got to stop at this station, right about now I give to you man called Ken boothe…..dig it”, the song runs for a minute and then pauses “don’t get me wrong, i only stopped the song to tell you this….it’s a hit, just can’t miss” then restarts.
Almost certainly done at the same time as Royal Cord and a very cheap way to re-use the Links material i suppose. I’d rather have the unadulterated version…..

Hello, hope i’m not boring asking for another of those great tunes, but what is the one at 25:40 on the part. 2 ? looks like Toots & the Maytals but can’t find something related on the web… Thanks a lot !!

thank you for that wonderful ranking. Bus dem shut 20 th position, I can’t wait for the first ones. But i think you should reconsider alva reggie lewis revelation and consider zoot simms see them a come. anyway appreciate the work.

Excellent, Excellent interview of my favourite Reggae artist. For years, many of my friends and other associates were giving plaudits to so many reggae artists and seldom if at all, the name Cornel Campbell barely got a look in. I have seen my favourite artist on a few occassions and each time he gives a polished, refined and sublime performance. His falsetto voice is music to a joy to the ears and he has been recording for 6 decades!!! What a feat. I have at least 15 Cornel LPs and over 75 singles 7″ singles from the great man.

We view the same outlook on life and hearing that we share the same astrological sign (Saggitarius), is very compelling.

My favourite Cornel song is “My Confession”, with “Make Hay”, “Pity The Children”/Power Pressure” (same rythym!!), “Stars”, “Blessed are They”, “I Am The General” all the “Gorgon” songs,”Girl of my dreams”, “Queen of the Minstrel” and “You are so Real”, hot on its heels.

Will Cornel ever get the worldwide recognition away from die-hard fans? Somehow I doubt it. One thing is crystal clear, The man is Master of his craft, and I will endeavour to keep the Cornel Campbell bandwagon rolling. Just like his 1973 smash; “Let The Music Keep On Playing”, Cornel is and will ALWAYS be one of The greatest singers Jamaica has ever produced.

Been following the site for a while, really great stuff. Next time I find myself on your side of the pond I will be sure to check out your night ! Many days rocksteady is my favorite genre of Jamaican music and this site has been a very important resource for me.

There is also a double CD set coming out, Columbia/Legacy is putting out , it’s a re-release of his first 2 albums, Legalize It & Equal Rights, that includes demos and dub plate mixes. It comes out on June 21st if I am correct…

Thanks for the input Brian, sorry if the comment about nationalities was a little misleading.

I’m afraid I’ve removed the download link – unless you can confirm that the rights holders have authorised the downloads in which case I’ll happily reinstate it. I’ve consistently argued against unauthorised downloads and whilst I appreciate the ground may be shifting under me on this point but I feel that they harm the reggae music business and I don’t want to be associated with them.

I agree with your comment about the publishing – as long as those involved do the minimum they are required to as far as the law requires then I guess thats all we can really hope for.

It should be noted that Rock A Shacka have previously released two CD’s of Studio 1 material which they later withdrew from market. Those titles, Rock A Shacka 6 and 7, were acknowledged to not have been properly licensed.
Now they appear to have altered the title of their latest 45, Freedom Sound for “Freedom Sounds” and the credit, Roland Alphonso & The Skatalites for “Tommy McCook”, likely in order to avoid paying the song’s publisher, trombonist Calvin Cameron’s Cameron Music.
So I don’t know that we need more releases like Freedom Sound, but a return to high quality, properly done Clement Dodd reissues is certainly overdue.

Sad to read about the fussing and fighting. I just love Studio One music and would like to see more releases. I have a few releases from Rock A Shacka. Like them as much as the excellent Pirate’s(!) Choice. Didn’t know that vol 6 and 7 were suspicious. Dubstore is a fine label too. I hope Dodds and the japanese companies find some solution to this.

Re the Paragons tune and label… Supertone was a very large sound out of May Pen, Clarendon. I wonder if there was any affiliation with these Paragons releases? Perhaps he helped finance the recordings, etc.

It’s difficult to tell from an MP3 but to me this sounds like it was mastered from a clean copy of the vinyl, not from master tape. If it appeared on a Coxsone LP the tape should be around, so I’m not so sure about your comment on the quality? Yes the label looks nice but that is the easy part. Is Coxsone Jr a full or half-brother to the other siblings? If he was Downbeat’s “jacket” as they say in Jamaica, that might explain some of the animosity. At any rate I’m on Junior’s side as he seems like the one most interested in actually getting the music out there, the rest of the Dodd family hasn’t done much since Coxsone Snr’s death.

I have been reading about the “Bootlegging” of Studio One music with great interest. The Artists/Singers compensations or lack of are not even mentioned. Carol Dodd, who is now managing “Studio One’s” massive catalogues and re-issues have never paid the Artists for their work. She is a thief who steals our music, re-issues them, claims publishing rights unlawfully…she is now calling others “Bootleggers?.”
Regarding Tommy of Rockashaka, he needs to cultivate some professional integrity and stop stealing our music and start paying us for our work that he releases.
He just released “Skatalites Freedom Sound” backed by my tune, “Everybody Loves a Lover” (Norma Fraser)..I have not been paid for that Tune and I want to be paid.
Tommy of Rockashaka Label let me hear from you real soon or I will take legal action against you.

Prince Buster must have a very hefty catalogue of recordings that many of us would lap up if they were to be released. I gather there is a reluctance on his part to licence release for financial reasons but surely he must realise that in a few years they come out of copyright so he makes no money at all if others have access to the catalogue. Is there any news of progress?

There is a relatively paltry amount of Prince Buster material on CD at present. Which are the must haves?

Roy Wilson – if you read this please contact me at dancecrasher.co.ukATgooglemail.com

Bernard – exactly, there is a decent CD’s worth of Busters earliest productions that goes into the public domain next year. And year by year it will only get better. I fear if he doesn’t act very very soon there will be little left to licence – still he is supposed to be ill – maybe he can’t do it at the moment even if he’d want to.

While I’d hope that these are “fully licenced and legitimate”, Phil Enthucol concedes that they’re sourced from vinyl.
So, what’s best of knowledge?
I have to wonder when label credits producer J. Johnson and Sir JJ was named Carl!

Well the Batman release is a bit confusing as I thought it was a Randy’s tune. Been out of a 10 inch back in the mid 90’s on a Randy’s label. I first hear Bob Brooks play this tune at a selecter’s clash almost 19 years ago and it flattened the dance big time before Asher G ripped it off the turn table for some reason.

I was led to believe there were only three copies in existence or that might be some myth to add mystery to the tune.

From what I know there was no direct connection between the sound system and the label. The label took the name from the sound because it sounded good and it was probably a mutually beneficial arrangement. Val Blake started the sound, which was then taken over by his sons. Ken Khouri who owned Federal started the label and was the money man production wise the real work was done by Keith Scott and Sam Mitchell.

I wrote an article about Merritone for Big Shot #6 and I think I found some loose connection between the sound and the label, but embarassingly, I neither remember nor do I have a magazine with me at the moment. Will have to check!

According to Paul Khouri, the name was rented from the Blake family.
BTW, On test pressings, How Soon is paired with an add’l take titled part 2, Born to Rule is paired with Sai Pan and We Were Meant To Be has acapella version on flip.
Big Shot 6 Merritone piece appears well done, although still awaiting translation of last 2 pages by a Dutch friend! Would you have it in English?

Hey Tim, thought I’d let your blog viewers know that there is an interview on Bigmikeydread Reggae Radio with Phil all about this release.
Hey and Roy if you are reading this again, PLEASE CONTACT TIM, We are all big Higgs and Wilson fans!

I am a fan of this period, unlike yourself, and am fortunate to have most of the records, but it is the sort of organized compilation that the music needs. Not the same old tracks over and over. By the way, if I ever meet you, I’ll slip you some money for the website. Am just relucant to use my credit card for such a purpose. Cheers

Turn it on its head if you were newly discovering reggae, that disc might be enough to get you to buy the box and broaden your horizons via the other four discs, not all purchasers are seasoned collectors like most if not all on DC

The British Music Experience at O2 presented by the Co-operative, in association with OOM Gallery will be showcasing an exclusive exhibition of 38 rare photographs celebrating legendary black musicians working in the UK.

Using a simple camera photographer Pogus Caesar followed the musicians and singers around the famous venues producing a collection that celebrates a style of black music that brings together the UK, the US and the Caribbean.

From Stevie Wonder in 1989, Grace Jones in 2009 and Big Youth in 2011, this unique exhibition documents how black music, in its Reggae, Soul, Jazz and R&B tributaries of sound, has changed and renewed itself over the decades.

Journeying from Jimmy Cliff to Jay-Z via Mica Paris and Mary Wilson of The Supremes to David Bowie’s bass player Gail Ann Dorsey, these images conjure up an alphabet of the music of the Black Atlantic.
The photographs selected from OOM Gallery Archive are also as much about the clubs and venues, as it is about the singers, producers and musicians. The Wailers at The Tower Ballroom, Sly Dunbar at The Hummingbird Club, Courtney Pine at Ronnie Scott’s, Cameo at the Odeon Cinema, Ben E. King at the Hippodrome and Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B at BBC Pebble Mill, many venues now lost to regeneration or renewal, and only recalled through memory and imagery.

Afraid my allocation (Over half of the entire press) of the Rulers ‘Let My People Go’ sold out within a day of arriving, Kingstonians ‘Put Down Your Fire’ is still available as its a less limited press. More JJs thriller due in due course!

I agree – why would you want to play dubplates made for another sound? Interesting stuff for hardcore reggae fans because of their historical importance – and I’m happy they’re released (in pristine quality to beat) – but should have been put out as a collection on CD/LP.

A bit disappointed with the selection too actually. Pretty boring set of riddims with standard boasting lyrics. Hope they will continue to put out some of the real killer Jammy dubs, but sorry not going to be buying any of these.

I have the Heptones – “I am your man” on a yellow/black Coxsone as “Give Me the Right”. Can anyone tell me if all pressings of this tune sound so horrible as the 2 I´ve had? Both looked quite good but the sound was awful!

I think the I Am Your Man title came n the LP’s Freedom Time and Sounds Of Young Jamaica (the latter is a compilation). Where as it’s always called Give Me The Right on seven inch. The US Studio One press with the yellow red label is a clean press and I think the black/white Coxsone one is too. I’m not sue about the yellow/black though (i guess that’s the first press?).

Hi Tim
You probably know but FYI ‘Summer Place’ is on the Sparkers ‘Dig It Up’ rhythm, 4th cut (AFAIK) after ‘Dig It Up’, ‘Rent Too High’ and ‘Code It’. Probably makes more sense adding this to the text than publishing the comment

Nice re issue. I remember first hearing Boris Gardners version of Groovy Kind of Love at a selecters clash in London about 20 years ago and it got a huge forward. Everytime I’ve seen that record for sale it goes for between $200 and $300 US. My only wish with the reissue is they should have kept the soul tune on the B side of Groovy kind of love as it’s well nice. Rocka Shacka do it again, nice work.

I don’t know where moon dust comes out of, but there was a third wave ska label out of new york in the nineties called moonska records. I believe it was run or funded by some of the Toasters. So I wonder if this is related, as the moonska label put out a fair bit of modern skinhead stuff at the time.

Cheers and thanks for all the downloads from tighten up/trash and ready. Here in Canada we are seriously lacking.

THANKS for posting about the new Laurel stuff! Moon Ska Records was Bucket of The Toasters label. No relation at all except that one of my first releases of traditional Ska was the Laurel Aitken release on the label. and now I get to release something special with one of my heroes!

Wow Swing and Dine #18 a little low for me, but Rocksteady has never been given its due as a genre. The first music I know of to really emphasize the bassline. Add Lynn Taitt’s guitar = magical sounds that will never die.

Tim, that’s a very accurate description of ‘Garvey’s Ghost’. When this album was first released (’76 I think) it was much maligned, probably for two reasons. Firstly, it was mixed in the UK and secondly, it was mixed by white engineers at Island. If I’m honest I avoided it for many years for those reasons. I did pick up the Jamaican pressing sometime later but after one or two plays, it just sat unplayed and forgotten. It was only much later when I bought ‘Marcus Garvey’ on CD, that also included ‘Garveys Ghost’, that I listened to it again.
Finally, some 30 years later I really enjoyed listening to it. It’s true that the mixing is quite laid back but in a way that’s the album’s strength. The engineers really allow the quality of the rhythms to shine through and there are no intrusive distractions. You can just concentrate and enjoy the rhythms showcased by the sensitive mixing.
As an aside, Lloyd Coxsone was involved as an ‘adviser’ on the mixing sessions so I imagine his input would have been positive.
My advice would be that if, like me, you’ve avoided this album, pleaee give it another chance. It’ll get you in the end..it’s only a matter of time. Eventually the penny will drop!

Bottom line is that they cost about the same as they would as part of the limited edition singles series, but you get 7 at once intsead of wairing 7 months and you dont get to pay postage at £2 a 45 (In the UK at least) and as abonus get the box etc all thrown into the deal, how bad can it be and all on original, if you could find them all for sale mint ever it would be a mirace and even the sevn on decent copies wiould be over 20 times the price of the box set these days IMHO!

.. and Little Things is just re-issue on a top quality UK pressing (One of four 45s worth of Phil Pratt produced Caltone rocksteady just issued) complete with previously unissued instrumental next cut on the flip!

really would have loved to have the 7″ label designs illustrated as well. this actually really makes me reconsider if i am going to buy it or not…
Maybe they´re saving it for a future project? But then would there be enough label desings to make a whole book?

Hi Art. Personally I wouldn’t have said the lyrics are that clear, to my mind they are just commenting on it rather that supporting or condemning but I’m sure others would disagree! Either way it’s a pretty rubbish tune.

My name is Ras Charles Jones. I performed with Keith is 1980 in a band called Earthworm. We performed at My Fathers Place, Tramps, Tier 3, Eighties. I now do radio at Binghamton University-WHRW. I can re reached at 607 7295526 for further info on Keith. Ras Charles Jones

The violence in Jamaica is out of control. It was no random killing, from what I hear people had been urging Riley to leave the country for some time. If you get too successful in Jamaica and you don’t have powerful friends (or if you anger the wrong people, don’t grease some palms etc) it’s easy to dead.

Regarding the Norma Fraser tune “Heartaches”, the pairing on the original JA Studio One label was with the flip side being the Righteous Flames “You Don’t Know”. The ska “Everybody” was recorded earlier…

I was wondering if you would be able to make these available for myself also, I am at the University of Manchester and in the process of writing my dissertation on the influence of Reggae on British society. I cannot stress how helpful these magazines would be to my work.

for an investigation I am urgently looking for the issue with Carl Gayle interviewing King Tubby, think it was February 1976. If you don’t want to leave the issue, a scan of that article would also be helpful.

I am aware this comment was posted 3 years ago, But I local to Reading and I am currently writing a dissertation very similar to the commenter here. If you receive this message, I would be forever in your debt if I could have access to your collection for just a few hours one afternoon soon?

Nice one Cliff (NOT!) So all I’ve got to do is survive to beyond 70+ and hope that someone out there has the finance and ability to bring out these classic ska, rock steady and reggae tracks that the majors tend to shun (Trojan/Island via Universal are excused from that) The ironic thing is that Cliff Richard actually LOVES reggae music. He’s said so himself many times! 60’s – 70’s anyway. I can’t picture him having much in common with Bounty Killer, Assassin, Buju Banton etc lol!

Im delighted to see you continue with this series, youre really making us wait 🙂 but come on, as nice as this song is, it doesn’t compare with whats on the other side of this single. My Conversation is a stone cold classic, evergreen and beautiful. nearly perfect in every way.
Do you honestly think Beatitude is a stronger song, or are you trying to go for the less obvious and obscure? keep up the works anyway, looking forward to the top 10 🙂

Thanks Carl, yes I do think Beatitude is better though I’d agree Conversation is the bigger tune. I’m not deliberately going for the obscure (I’m not sure if Beatitude would count as that anyway?) though in some ways less familiar tunes are more exiting than ones you’ve heard a thousand times.

I have both of these and I have to say that the sound is slightly better on the Trojan issue although the Baron’s is also pretty good. As an aside, the dub version used on the Trojan flip can also be found in its full length on a 1975-ish Jamaican issue of Ali Baba that appeared on Dutchess

Honeyboy Martin emigrated to Britain,he had a record shop in Luton and had a radio show on BBC Bedfordshire.I used to listen to it in the eighties.He also carried on his singing career,mainly making big people records.You Tube has a 70’s tune “Jamaica” that sounds alot like the GB records Trojan were putting out.
Pressure Sounds have put out a great release,it fills in an important gap in the history of the music

OMG!! I remember this.A great way of avoiding “Nationwide” on BBC1 on a week night.It was on BBC2 at the same time.I’d just got into drumming,listening to Style,Carlie and Sly.This was an absolute god-send for me and my brother(who was learning bass).
We talked endlessly about it at school.I found the book later on and still use the material when I teach basic Reggae styles to my drum students.
The 3 presenters are still involved in music education.Dierdre writes pieces for the”Rock SChool” exam syllabus,Geoff writes for drum magazine “Rhythm” and Henry wrote a book on slap bass,that my brother studied from.
OMG!

well, i’m not sure whether I’ve let a comment before but just want to thank to the author for the superb work. though this tracks i’ve learnt a lot about rocksteady, not to mention the pleasure to discover new tracks, artists, producers… i’m really looking forward to the top ten. big up!

I’ve been following this countdown for ages, and I’m really grateful. I have discovered so many tunes I now love and cherish (I was delighted to see The Clarendonians Im Sorry and Lonely Heartaches show up on the latest Pressure Sounds release after discovering them here). I was very happy to see ‘Bus Dem Shut’ in the top ten, cos its one of my all time favourites. I love the mixture of information, label pictures and soundclips. Its been a very informative journey.
But if its truly a list of ‘greatest’ Rocksteady tunes, I do however think that there are some massive omissions, particularly of the Studio One variety, some really obvious and immortal tunes like (off the top of my head):
Dawn Penn – No no no
Soul Vendors – Rockfort rock
Alton Ellis – Im still in love with you
The Heptones – Pretty looks isnt all
Carlton and the Shoes – Love me forever
Ken Boothe – ‘Moving away’,
The Techniques – ‘Queen Majesty’ and ‘You dont care’
Hopeton Lewis – Take it easy
Keith and Tex – Stop that Train
and as i mentioned before The Uniques – My Conversation.
I know these songs are extremely well-known, but they are all beautiful and era-defining, and the basslines and riddims have been versioned endlessly all the way through to the dancehall era. It seems a shame not to acknowledge these masterpieces.
Having said that, its been more educational to read about some of these lesser celebrated jewels. And im dying to see what the top ten will be!! please dont make us wait too long 🙂 🙂
peace

Ive just noticed that 3 of the last 4 songs i listed are in fact featured in your countdown….I should have double checked before i posted the last comment, i was writing off the top of my head. The main point i was making was that your Top 100 has been a pleasure to follow (despite what i would consider as omissions or misplacements, and a penchant for favouring the less obvious), and i have learned loads!
Thanks again

Glad to see the final countdown, there should be at least one Wailers tune in the Top 10 and a few Coxsone chunes, Hurting Inside, Rougher Yet something from Bob Andy’s Song Book would be my choice, but as you said before, it’s all a matter of personal taste. Did I mention the Call OF The Drums. Anyway, thanks for the hard work

I have been following the top 100 since I came upon the website by accident – everyone’s a scorcher, by the way. But the selection is, as stated, obviously the compilers opinion. It totally amazes me that the vast majority of the chart I’ve never heard. What were the ones like that failed to make the grade?

In 1989 when this show was broadcasted I was at my home town which is outside of the shows broadcast area i.e London mainly. Back then with no internet, hearing the show was a lost cause to me. It is with much grattitude that it has been posted up and I’ve at last been able to listen to it. Thank you. I’m just so gutted about the many other tribute shows that I’ve missed over the years.

I’ve not been able to get hold of this.Is there anywhere I can download it from?I’ve tried the websites listed and her facebook page to no avail.
Was it only available for one day or have I misread it?

Why Is there a pic of dennis brown on the front cover and the name marcia griffiths onthe sleeve when neither appears to feature on the album? Is this some sort of tribute to coxsone’s talent for misinformation on his album covers? LOL.

The Marcia Griffiths mistake is more easily understood as in the liner notes it states that the Rita Marley tune included was mis-credited to Marcia Griffiths on some of the original 7″ labels but the D Brown has me wondering. Maybe some ‘hurry come up’ layout person thought it was Johnny Osbourne.

I was wondering if the Progressions would be in this list. I thought the other side of that record ‘Are you ready’ was the better tune but that’s just me. I also have a feeling what might be No. 1 and if right I think it’s a suitable choice but definitely not a rare tune. Look forward to the final seven. Great work and giving thanks.

My name is Errol Hobson, Derrick K. Hobson (The ‘K’ means Kenyute and not Keith as was previously mentioned) is my late brother who died the summer of ’78. I know for a fact that he did a few recordings with artiste such as Johnny Clarke and Roman Stewart. The tunes that readily came to mind: “Ride On Young Girl” by Johnny Clarke, and Roman Stewart’s “Love Jah and Live”. “Ride On Young Girl” was remixed and release on a 12″ Disco Mix. This particular track was released on his own label [THE BETSY original Stamma].

For thirty four years I’d busted sweat on trying to find out who did the tune give Thanks and Praise (version) because I only heard it once, I had it on tape and the tape snapped just where the track info was inserted. Thank you Only Roots Reggae. I can now rest easy. Roll on pay day!

It’s a great value for money package, for sure. A shame though, that the last track on CD 1 is not the 12″ mix of Roots Train, with the Dillinger toast, but rather the album mix from Police and Thieves. And hopefully a second volume will showcase some rarer tunes. That said, a very nice compilation indeed.

@Bernard @Everyone. We are the management company (Koffe an Kreem) for Kofi (ex Brown Sugar). We have set up the Wiki entries for both and are desperately looking for source references, articles, chart images, awards, photos, etc. for both Kofi and Brown Sugar.
But.. any information, etc. you could find and scan would be great. Contact info is on our website. Thanks in advance.

Hi. Excellent web site, keep up the great work. Just wondered if you knew that the latest two scratch links show ‘file not found’. Also I think that you may have missed the passing of the great Ossie Hibbert about 2 months ago.
Kind regards
Stephen

Greetings and I’m telling you I love the Peckings releases!! I play vinyl on Kool 97 and the listeners love the Peckings songs… I just can’t get enough!!I would love to get these to add to my collection:
PS 0001,0002,1001,1005a/b,1006,1007,1012,1013,1018,1020,1023,1024,1025-withDominic,1026,1030-KellyMakeda,1032,1033,1034,1044,1046,1049,1050,
1052,1056,1057,1066,1072,1075,1078,1079,ptig001,ptig002…. also “taller than them”… “struggling” and “smiley culture” (I have on cd)
Please advise asap how I can get these …. I have friends in England who travel to Jamaica and can bring them for me. Looking forward to hearing from you. Keep up the wonderful cultural work. Blessings, Michael

Hi Tim,
This is still not up on the Trojan website yet and I was wondering if this was worth getting as I’ve got the Arkology set and the3 box sets Steve Barrow put together in the ’80s.Be good to see a tracklist so I can make a judgement.
Cheers,
M.

As far as Peckings back catalogue titles are concerned they tend not to repress (With a few exceptions such as Walk Away From Love for example) I have been trying to encourage Chris and Duke to repress certain titles, but to be honest there is so much unreleased stuff stacked up it is unlikely that older titles will repress so your best bet is eBay or similar. You might also wish to listen to the mix cloud page where I posted up the guest slot I did on Danny Hatcher’s internet radio show where I previewed 20 odd unreleased Peckings recordings, none of which have yet seen the light of day! http://www.mixcloud.com/Enthucol/phil-enthucol-unreleased-peckings-seelctions-danny-hatcher-reggae-show-dwr-14412/

Tim
There are two pressings of BU 406, the lalel copy is as above, but the blank couples Making Love and Greatest Scorcher, a totally different tune and in fact the fourth cut of the Another Scorcher rhythm

Just one thing. Summer Place by Ranny Williams: the original to that rythmn is Rent To High by Glen Adams on Trojan and not Dig It Up by the Sparkers as stated in your book. Dig It Up was itself a version of Rent To High.

Got To Be At The Party was recorded by Milton Boothe, with two members of the Progressions, who were at WIRL on that day, and volunteered to do background vocals, the producer, Miss Barnett who was not in the studio, had sent him to do the vocals on his own, but, the Progressions thought that it needed a little help,if you listen to “Fair Deal” or “Are You Ready” you will hear the similarities.More information on The Progressions can be supplied on request.

You left Tony Russell off the list, and Rudy Mills had been a member when the Progressions were known as the Jets, recording “Fresh Out Of Love” & “Someone” on the Top Deck label. Derrick Bucknor did not make it to the “Fair Deal” session, so The Progressions were short one voice, and had to make do. Such is history.

Peter Hunnigale – Body So Good,
Lady Lex – What A Difference A Day Makes
Richie Davies – Since We Broke Up
Robert Lee – Oh Jah Jah
Rudie Rass – Sweet Like Zion
John McLean – Loving You
The riddim is It’s You I Love by the techniques.